joseph spence is really cool too and i can see what dr. john means. but prof. longhair has the added new orleans bounce and stride.
― a tenth level which features a single castle (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 16 October 2010 03:26 (thirteen years ago) link
love fess to death. have only a few of his recordings, but have put a lot of miles on them over the years. the new orleans piano comp on atlantic is good starting point for the early stuff (the old LP i own doubtless now supplanted by an expanded CD version). plus LOVE some of his 80s sets, like house party new orleans style and esp. rock 'n' roll gumbo. so great to read those dr. john excerpts - thanks, tipsy - and yeah, i gotta track that book down.
― naked human hands and a foam rubber head (contenderizer), Saturday, 16 October 2010 04:08 (thirteen years ago) link
rules for sure but i think james booker was the real new orleans piano god.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifAXV4LQ9S4
― adam, Saturday, 16 October 2010 15:44 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX7IC3dr7SU&feature=related
― adam, Saturday, 16 October 2010 15:48 (thirteen years ago) link
The first thing I ever got by him was Crawfish Fiesta, on Alligator, which is fantastic. Then I got New Orleans Piano, mentioned upthread, and the only other thing I have by him is the 2CD Rhino anthology Fess, which may be out of print.
― Born In A Test Tube, Raised In A Cage (unperson), Saturday, 16 October 2010 15:49 (thirteen years ago) link
taking nothing away from james booker, who's amazing -- i pretty much love the entire new orleans piano canon -- but he's a bit more of a finesse guy than fess, and a bit less of a romper. (or frolicker.) i incline toward the romp. and like dr. john says, fess has some kind of latin/caribbean influences going on that i think just give him some kind of extra rocket fuel, groove-wise.
― a tenth level which features a single castle (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 16 October 2010 21:46 (thirteen years ago) link
http://www.cartwheelart.com/2012/12/28/ike-turner-killed-jfk-a-conversation-with-hudson-marquez/
One of the highlights of EMP New Orleans was listening to author Jason Berry interview Hudson Marquez about his finding Professor Longhair in New Orleans in 1969 or so. Marquez told awesome stories about going to the Dew Drop Inn when he was 13 and seeing r'n'b greats, ranted about Jazz & Heritage Fest founder Quint Davis stealing credit for finding 'Fess and about the NOPD, and much more. Just found this link about this guy who also created the cadillac ranch. His comments about Springsteen on the link are pretty funny too.
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, April 24, 2013 2:33 PM (1
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 14:46 (eleven years ago) link
Plus Marquez showed his black and white video footage of Longhair playing with guitarist Snooks Eglin and an unknown drummer at the 1971 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage fest. Great stuff
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 14:48 (eleven years ago) link
Snooks Eaglin
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 14:49 (eleven years ago) link
good link. is that EMP interview archived anywhere?
― adam, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 15:02 (eleven years ago) link
Very sadly I think the EMP New Orleans folks did not tape anything but the Senegalese musicians playing on Sunday with the New Orleans Afro-Creole banjoists Don vappie and Carl Leblanc.
I see but have not listened to the audio link about Marquez finding 'Fess on that cartwheelart.com link above. I was scribbling down some notes while listening to Marquez talk and then I got so caught up in listening to his great stories about 'Fess making more money card-playing (but allegedly having a former home burned down in relation to such card-playing), the unidentified comatose looking woman in 'fess's apartment who was never explained to Marquez; Marquez' story of paying the musicians union $800 (he had only $1000 in his bank acct at the time) so Fess could play again and get to use a Union rehearsal space with a piano...
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 15:20 (eleven years ago) link
Wow, great stories. Would love to see that Fess/Snooks footage. Guessing the unknown drummer could have been Sheba Kimbrough, Fess played with him a lot around that time. Or is it a bigger mystery?
― New Authentic Everybootsy Collins (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 15:29 (eleven years ago) link
Not sure. When Marquez told interviewer Berry he didn't remember, Berry just moved on to another question.
I loved how Marquez said something like "After 'Fess start playing the piano beautifully after I gave the union $800 for dues, I thought man, I'd pay $800 anyday to hear a guy like that perform again."
Marquez had loaned Quint Davis his Fess 78s to listen to and Davis was initially unimpressed according to Marquez; until concert promoter George Wein (who worked with Davis in creating Jazzfest) expressed interest
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 15:54 (eleven years ago) link
I freaking love the way Fess SINGS.....
― m0stlyClean, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 17:33 (eleven years ago) link
i have a special place on my heart for rock n' roll gumbo as that was my introduction to the professor while back in college, played that to death and remember the first time it hit meeven tho i have way more albums by him keep going back to that for the memories
but gawd that man cld play
― H in Addis, Thursday, 25 April 2013 13:49 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/spirit-of-professor-longhair-alive-at-new-orleans-jazz-and-heritage-festival/2014/04/17/fa5da3e8-be6d-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html
Re fixing up his house, a movie doc, and a movie feature
― curmudgeon, Friday, 18 April 2014 16:33 (ten years ago) link
just got back from new orleans, and i really regret not going to see his house. though i did randomly walk by Allen Toussaint's house.
― mizzell, Friday, 18 April 2014 16:41 (ten years ago) link
Coincidentally, I just stumbled across this yesterday, don't know if it's been mentioned/linked elsewhere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX1vwDe9Z94
― A Perfect Ratio of Choogle to Jam (Dan Peterson), Friday, 18 April 2014 16:47 (ten years ago) link
That W. Post feature quotes Quint Davis re finding 'Fess, but leaves out Hudson Marquez.
― curmudgeon, Friday, 18 April 2014 16:57 (ten years ago) link